Disciples Called to Witness: Preface

“‘But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were
looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white
garments stood beside them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing
there looking at the sky?’” - Acts 1:8-11

Christ commands us to be his witnesses to the ends of the
earth. We are to proclaim his Good News to all people, everywhere and at all
times. After Christ promises the disciples that the Holy Spirit will come upon
them, he ascends into heaven. The disciples, rather than heeding Christ’s
command to be his witnesses, stare “intently at the sky.” It takes “two men
dressed in white garments” asking, “Men of Galilee, why are you . . . looking
at the sky?” for the disciples to begin to realize the meaning of Christ’s
command (Acts 1:10-11).

How often do we fail to realize that we are
called to be Christ’s witnesses to the world? Do we realize that our Baptism,
Confirmation, and reception of the Eucharist bestow on us the grace we need to
be disciples? Are we like the disciples staring at the sky rather than inviting
those around us to experience Christ’s love and mercy through the Church? How
often do we reach out to our missing brothers and sisters by inviting them to
join us at Mass or by asking why they no longer feel welcomed at the Lord’s
Table? The answers to these questions underlie the evangelizing mission of the
Church, especially in the call of the New Evangelization.

The New Evangelization seeks to invite modern man and culture
into a relationship with Jesus
Christ and his Church. The New Evangelization strives
to engage our culture and to help us draw our inspiration from the Gospel. The
New Evangelization calls all Catholics first to be evangelized and then in turn
to evangelize. While it is directed to all people, the New Evangelization
focuses specifically on those Christian communities that have Catholic roots
but have "lost the living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church…" 1

The Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis seeks to take
up the call of the New Evangelization with this online resource. Diocesan
bishops, eparchs, pastors, diocesan and parish staff, and indeed all Catholics
will find this resource helpful in the creation of outreach efforts aimed at
inviting and welcoming Catholics back to the Lord’s Table. This resource
discusses

• The call of the New Evangelization within our cultural
context (Part I)

• The theological foundations of the New Evangelization
(Part II)

• The importance of evangelization and personal conversion,
or metanoia (Part III)

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